THE LAST HOURS by Minette Walters

A dystopian novel that isn't was the predominant thought going through my mind while reading this. A dystopian society or state is imagined rather than real, follows some catastrophe, injustice, suffering or total disaster wiping out the normal way of doing things. This novel ticks all of the above except for the imagined society. Because the Black Death did exist, it did wipe out 50% the British population in the mid-14th century, it's origins at the time were totally unknown, superstition and religious dogma explaining how and why it randomly seemed to descend, wiping out villages, communities, towns, generations overnight.

In this novel, long established crime thriller writer Minette Walters turns her hand to historical fiction, her impetus apparently being learning that where she lives in Dorset is very close to a plague pit. Her setting is the fictional community of Develish, with the manor house occupied by land owner Lord Richard, his wife Lady Anne and their 14 year old daughter Eleanor. The land is farmed by peasants - serfs, effectively slaves to the land owner, with no say or control over their destiny - everything they do and have is owned by, in this case, Lord Richard. Not a nice man. Serfs are treated like the lowly, dirty, uneducated, subservient creatures they supposedly are.

Lady Anne, however, is a most exceptional woman. Brought up by nuns, she can read, knows how to care for the sick, understands the importance of basic hygiene, managing and caring for communities. During her 15 years at Develish, she has worked ceaselessly behind her husband's back teaching the serfs to read, and basic sanitation all resulting in Develish being a local success story with its healthy serfs, and productive fields. Not much of which goes back to the peasants.

Following the unfortunate demise of Lord Richard, by default Develish is in Lady Anne's hands. Fortunately for Develish, there is a moat separating the castle from the surrounding fields, assisting Lady Anne with her immediate removal of the entire community and livestock to the castle, and thus isolating it from the rest of the world. A woman in this medieval world has no power, but Lady Anne's careful nurturing of her relationships with the peasants has given her a powerful support base, and she uses this to establish and maintain order within the castle while chaos rules outside.

Religion and the plague being God's punishment for sins, superstition around why some get sick and others don't also dominate daily life. Living in such close confines too, conflicts and trouble soon appear, the prospect of food running out, the ever present threat of invasion, all create big challenges to Lady Anne. Plus it wouldn't be Minette Walters without a murder.

Really good book, and very much look forward to reading the sequel 'The Turn of Midnight'.